Follow by Email

Friday, October 24, 2014

Week 54 - "We don't have to be prophets to have a prophetic impact on others"

It's been a fast 7 weeks in the office. I can't believe how quick time has past by! Elder Kumar will no longer be my companion starting this coming transfer cycle :( He will be spending his last 2 transfers out in one of my favorite areas, University Hills Kalookan! I think he's pretty excited to experience one of the rougher parts of the Philippines and he'll be house mates with my anak, Elder Roa! I'm going to miss Elder Kumar. We had a ton of fun, but my new companion, Elder Ehlert, is way cool as well. He is from Minnesota and went to BYU actually around the same time I was there! I'm really excited to work with him, even though unfortunately he also comes home soon. He's leaving in just 10 weeks! Which means I'll end up getting ANOTHER ap companion around Christmas time. Also meaning that I will be here as an assistant in Lagro for a very very long time. But that's ok life goes on in the service of the Lord no matter where you serve! I'm just hoping that when I finally do leave the office I'll still have time left on my mission to train new missionaries at least one or two more times before I go home.

This week has been busy getting things ready for transfers, which has been crazy lately because our number of missionaries continues to increase. So selecting apartments, lots of last minute changes to companionships and many other little things just continue popping up! We also had "5 week follow up training" for the 22 new missionaries from last transfer. Elder Ehlert/Kumar and myself gave 2 workshops and lead the events for the day. It was way sweet having 3 APs to give the workshops it really went well. We shared a whole bunch of personal experiences, scriptures, thoughts/ideas, and everything just really seemed to mesh perfectly! It all went so smooth and the Spirit was there at every time mmmm masarap ang mga salita ni cristo!! We don't get to give workshops nearly as often as the assistants used to in the old QCNM era and I must admit I'm slightly jealous of that! haha I love teaching and testifying, in Tagalog or English its just so fun when thoughts you've never had before or scriptures you could never remember just seem to appear outta thin air into your mind right at the very moment you need them most. Truly I have gained a testimony that if we are striving to live worthy than the Lord will fulfill His promise in D&C 84:85, that if we, "neither take thought beforehand what we shall say; but treasure up in our minds continually the words of life, and it shall be given us in the very hour that portion that shall be meted unto every man".

I think being a teacher some day would be the coolest job in the world. All we ever do and our whole purpose on Earth is to learn. Luckily the Lord most frequently allows for His students to also double as His teachers. Again I think of Alma 1:26, because most often the hearer is not the sole benefactor but rather the teacher is edified as much if not even more. All of us our entrusted with opportunities to teach every single day, whether it be by the spoken word or through examples of action. The Savior himself spent His entire life since the first recorded experience at the temple of Passover when He was just 12 years old. Not only did he teach the "doctors" but then turned and tenderly taught His very own Earthly parents as well. Just as Jesus did, we too have thousands of opportunities to lift, motive, inspire, and teach in such a variety of ways. We must constantly be aware that "no man, when he hath lighted a candle, putteth it in a secret place, neither under a bushel, but on a candlestick, that they which come in may see the light". With this great hastening of the work our religion has been and will continue to be put into the spotlight. We as, self proclaimed, Mormons have been placed upon the candlestick for all to see and partake of the excessive fruits of the Spirit that radiate from within those living the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

May we ever follow the admonition of our Redeemer who taught, "let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven", and always search out, be made aware, and pray for opportunities to teach and fortify those other precious souls placed in our everyday path. We don't have to be prophets to have a prophetic impact on others.